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Storing homemade ice cream

I am about to purchase an ice cream maker and was wondering what you all store your home made ice cream in. Do you just use Tupperware, or have you found something better? My freezer seems fairly prone to freezer burn, and I'd like to avoid it....

I don't think I've ever made a batch that lived longer than 30 minutes

Seriously though...I offload to the smallest glass storage container I can find that will accommodate the amount I want to store--excess head space in the container is something you should avoid, if possible. Cover the surface of the product with plastic wrap and then use the dedicated cover for the container.

Plastic wrap on top makes a huge difference. If you squish it down so that it eliminates as much air touching the ice cream as possible, it will keep pretty darned well. I usually use some sort of tupperware style container, push the plastic wrap down leaving enough excess that it can cling up the sides of the container, and then close the container with the lid.

I think on Good Eats' ice cream episode, Alton Brown recommended storing ice cream in paper paint buckets that you can get from the hardware store, sort of like how you get your ice cream at the supermarket.

*sigh* an ice cream maker and a waffle iron are the only pieces of kitchen equipment that I don't own that I desperately want. There's always Christmas.

Believe me, I tied my shoes once, and it was an overrated experience - King Jaffe Joffer, ruler of Zamunda

great tips, thanks! The smooshing of plastic and smaller containers sounds like the way to go.

I purchased the ice cream maker last night. It is sitting patiently in my kitchen, waiting for the weekend. I am compiling a list of ice creams and sorbets to make. I've wanted one of these for a llooonnngg time.

"Delis" work fine....put them in a chest freezer to firm up ...I generally pull them
out to soften in the fridge to make the ice cream easier to quenelle...and yes, I have left them in the fridge only to melt....good news is....you can re-churn the base and have another go at it......keep in mind it doesn't keep as long as store-bought, with the egg yolks etc in it. Usually not a problem once you taste it

Having broken one glass container trying to scoop out ice cream that was a little firmer than usual, I now use plastic. I also keep the empty plastic container in the freezer so it's ready to accept newly churned ice cream. This means I don't have to search for a suitable container and also gives the ice cream a head start on freezing.

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Never call a stomach a tummy without good reason.” William Strunk Jr., The Elements of Style

Lots of good advise in this thread. The covering with plastic idea works very well, (Hagen Daz uses that principle in their packaging). I also use smallish plastic containers. They are safer and help to keep me from eating the whole batch in one sitting (especially when it comes to mango,peach,lemon ginger or caramel cashew).

Does it make a difference what kind of container you store a small amount (say a pint to a quart) of ice cream in the freezer? Plastic deli containers? Someone told me to use something like the conatiner that grocery store sherbert comes in, which is thicker than a deli container, but where to get them? Other ideas?

Nestle rep (we sell drumsticks, haagen-daz etc. in our store) just suggested that covering the top of the ice cream with plastic wrap will help keep it from going guppy ... this was in reference to 11.4L dipping ice cream, but makes perfect sense no matter what size of container. I always cover mousse or lemon curd or cream pudding with plastic, don't know why I didn't think of it with ice cream. Susan

Yes, this is for homemade ice cream and sorbet. I just started making it in one of those inexpensive Cuisinart machines, and packed it into pint deli containers for the reason you mentioned, Rachel. I also covered partial containers with plastic, Susan, and it does help. While all this worked fairly well (actually better than I expected), I wonder if something a little heavier, thicker like the plastic containers that sherbert comes in would be better than the thin plastic deli containers.

When we did ice cream in school, I brought home lots of it in those cheap, "disposable" Ziplock containers (I prefer the Ziplock to the Gladware stuff). Worked just fine. It does really help to put a piece of Saran wrap (yes, the original stuff that's thicker than regular plastic wrap) directly on the surface of the ice cream before replacing the container lid. The less air contact, the better.

Thanks, Neil. I'll try the Ziplock containers. I assume you reused them from your quote marks. And yes, I gently press the plastic wrap down directly onto the sorbet or ice cream. Even the thin wrap helps. Then comes the lid.

Thanks, Neil. I'll try the Ziplock containers. I assume you reused them from your quote marks. And yes, I gently press the plastic wrap down directly onto the sorbet or ice cream. Even the thin wrap helps. Then comes the lid.

The Zip-loc containers are definitely reuseable--I wash them in the DW on the top rack over and over.

I'll 2nd the vote for the "disposable" ziplock containers. I run them through the top rack as well, and they keep my homemade ice cream from developing any sort of surface issues. (Granted, I pack them so that each container is for single use.) :)

I just bought an icecream maker and have been experimenting alot. I seem to be doing something wrong, as my ice cream always turns out perfect after it is done spinning, but then the day-after product is frozen stiff. It's so hard that when I scoop it, it chips away at the ice cream. It's actually sort of interesting, producing a gratin texture, but it's not what I'm going for.

I do chill the mixture well, either overnight in the fridge or in an ice bath. I've tried multiple recipes with different ratios of cream, eggs, etc. I usually use a mixture of whole milk and heavy cream. I've tried vanilla, mint, maple syrup, and chocolate. My freezer is set to 0 degrees F.

How do you get your ice creams to be smooth, creamy and scoop-able after they are frozen?

I just bought an icecream maker and have been experimenting alot. I seem to be doing something wrong, as my ice cream always turns out perfect after it is done spinning, but then the day-after product is frozen stiff. It's so hard that when I scoop it, it chips away at the ice cream. It's actually sort of interesting, producing a gratin texture, but it's not what I'm going for.

I do chill the mixture well, either overnight in the fridge or in an ice bath. I've tried multiple recipes with different ratios of cream, eggs, etc. I usually use a mixture of whole milk and heavy cream. I've tried vanilla, mint, maple syrup, and chocolate. My freezer is set to 0 degrees F.

How do you get your ice creams to be smooth, creamy and scoop-able after they are frozen?

I've made a lot of homemade ice cream, and this seems to be the norm, ie, it starts off soft and creamy, then becomes rock hard in the freezer. The best solution I know is to soften it up in the refrigerator about a half hour - 45 minutes before serving.

There's nothing better than a good friend, except a good friend with CHOCOLATE.

I just bought an icecream maker and have been experimenting alot. I seem to be doing something wrong, as my ice cream always turns out perfect after it is done spinning, but then the day-after product is frozen stiff. It's so hard that when I scoop it, it chips away at the ice cream. It's actually sort of interesting, producing a gratin texture, but it's not what I'm going for.

I do chill the mixture well, either overnight in the fridge or in an ice bath. I've tried multiple recipes with different ratios of cream, eggs, etc. I usually use a mixture of whole milk and heavy cream. I've tried vanilla, mint, maple syrup, and chocolate. My freezer is set to 0 degrees F.

How do you get your ice creams to be smooth, creamy and scoop-able after they are frozen?

I dont know, but I whip my ice cream mixture... and let it chill in a fridge for a day.. It freezes a little more mellow.. But even then, I always let it sit on the counter after it freezes, just to get softer..